JANUARY 9 INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY Eagles, Cape Verde warm-up sealed

NIGERIA have finalised plans for an AFCON warm-up with surprise 2013 finalists Cape Verde on January 9 in Portugal, officials said.

“The match will be played the same day coach Stephen Keshi will announce his final 23-man squad for the Nations Cup,” disclosed Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) spokesman Ademola Olajire. It will be the first such clash between the two countries. Cape Verde shocked out mighty Cameroon to qualify for their first-ever AFCON. The Eagles other test game will be against Catalonia on January 2 in Spain.

Following Keshi’s meeting with the NFF technical committee, chairman Chris Green said that nine players from the Nigeria Premier League will travel to Portugal to be joined by 10 overseas-based professionals for the clash with Catalonia.

Officials said they are hopeful that the rest of foreign-based call-ups will join the squad latest January 4.